The institute started with 120 students intake in Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering departments, offering diploma education, has become one of the foremost aided autonomous polytechnics in Tamil Nadu offering quality technical education. NPTC is the first polytechnic college in the country to receive the Gold category accreditation by Asia Pacific Accreditation Certification Commission (APACC). Another jewel in the crown of NIA campus is the unique Collaborative Education Programme both at Diploma and Degree level with TVS Motors Company, since 2008.
The campus celebrating its Diamond Jubilee year, has been the birthplace of several institutions viz:
Sakthi Polytechnic College established in this campus in the year 1981 and later shifted to its permanent campus in Nachimuthupuram, Sakthi Nagar, Bhavani, near Erode.
In commemoration of the silver jubilee year in 1983, Kumaraguru College of Technology was started in the year 1984 and later shifted to Saravanampatti, Coimbatore.
Arutchelvar, a Gandhian, strongly believed in Gandhiji's philosophy that promoted learning to financially support one's own education. Hence, in 1995 established Palani Gounder Higher Secondary School, a standalone higher secondary vocational school.
In the year 1998, commemorating the 75th birth year of Arutchelvar and 4 decades of rendering technical education through NPTC, Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET) was established.
To commemorate the golden jubilee in the year 2007, the campus witnessed the establishment of Vanavarayar Institute of Agriculture. The college is situated 20 km away from Pollachi in a sprawling 250 acres of land.
This campus also has three technical conglomerates, ABT info.net, Caresoft Global and ABT Maruti that support the students to have industry exposure and training. NIA also has 15 centres of excellence established in collaboration with various industries.
The campus has also conducted two international conferences on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment in 2015 and 2017. As a culmination of which the campus has been proclaimed as green campus by stopping the use of plastic water bottles, launching urban forestry, powering street luminaires with solar power generation, supplying hot water to hostels through bio-gas plants, etc.
At present, NIA Educational Institutions consisting of 3 Higher Education Institutions, 3 Higher Secondary Schools, 3 Nursery and Primary Schools, spread across 4 campuses in Pollachi comprising of 12000 students and 1000 staff. It serves the society with best education imparting values, principles and discipline to groom the youth of the community to realise their dreams. The journey strengthens each day with the inspirations of Arutchelvar Ayya and the blessings of Arutperum Jyothi.